Thrown Into Training

I have had a lot of folks compliment my ability to make resolutions or goals and stick to them. I wanted to share with you my method of doing so.

Want to know the reason that most people cannot stick to goals or resolutions?  It’s because the goals/resolutions are not specific enough.

For example:

I resolve to lose weight.

That’s pretty open-ended, right?  I mean, what is making you overweight now?  What will you change to help you lose weight?

Or:

I am going to be more organized.

Really?  That’s great, but you forgot to say HOW you were going to do that.

Any time you tackle a project, it’s best to break it down into smaller, bite-sized tasks.  This will allow you to feel accomplished along the way, with even minimal effort.

One way to do this is to make sure that you are setting SMART goals:

S – Specific (could also be significant, stretching)

M – Measurable (could also be meaningful, memorable, motivating)

A – Attainable (could also be achievable, action plans, accountability)

R – Relevant (could also be realistic, reasonable, rewarding)

T – Time-bound (could also be timely, tangible, thoughtful)

So let’s put those concepts into play:

Again, you don’t want to just make a general statement. If you want to lose weight, that’s great, but how about instead:

• I resolve to cut out dessert during the week.
• This year I am going to walk a mile three times per week.
• This year I am going to add one green veggie to each meal.

Those things will definitely help you lose inches and pounds and they are SPECIFIC, MEASURABLE, ATTAINABLE, RELEVANT and TIME-BOUND.

We all want to lose 10 lbs by tomorrow, but it’s not realistic, nor ATTAINABLE in that time period.  Be realistic about what you can accomplish in a specific amount of time.

If you want  to take it down even further, commit to doing it just for a week or a month.  For example:

• During January, I resolve to walk a mile three times per week.
• During February, I resolve to walk a mile 4 times per week.

It’s easy to “fool” yourself into a habit if you think you only have to do it for so long.

When I first tried to give up ice cream, I set a goal of only eating it every other day, rather than being able to have it every day.  Then I dropped it back to only once during the week and once on the weekends.

Most of us did not go straight from being born to walking.  There are some folks out there who skipped crawling altogether, but the majority of us had to crawl before we could walk, and walk before we could run. We didn’t learn how to ride a bike without training wheels.

Be patient with yourself.  While some folks have said it takes 21 days to make or break a habit, I have found that it takes a good 5-6 weeks for me to do so.  It could be because I’m stubborn or maybe those folks were not quite right about the 21 days.  Either way, I have learned to give myself the time to make the changes.

Some folks have added an E and an R to the end of SMART, for SMARTER

S – Specific (could also be significant, stretching)

M – Measurable (could also be meaningful, memorable, motivating)

A – Attainable (could also be achievable, action plans, accountability)

R – Relevant (could also be realistic, reasonable, rewarding)

T – Time-bound (could also be timely, tangible, thoughtful)

E – Evaluate

R – Re-evaluate (could also be reassess, revisit)

I’m a firm believer EVALUATING and REVISITING my goals.  I try to do it at least once per quarter, if not more often.  That shows me where I need to adjust a behavior in order to meet the goal – or it might be that I’ve finished that goal and I need to set more.  Just because January 1 only comes once a year, it doesn’t mean you can only set goals or resolutions then. You could try doing it every three months or every six months as well.

I recommend writing out your goals, whether it’s in a notebook that only you see or on a blog for the world to see. Any time you write out a goal, it makes it REAL.  It becomes a promise to yourself. Otherwise, it’s just a “someday” idea floating around in your head that only shows up in your daydreams.

When you write out your goals, make sure that you write out the steps that will get you there.  For example:

I want to write a book.

That’s overwhelming to anyone.  That may be your ultimate goal, but how will you get there?

• I will write an outline of the first three chapters of my book by March 31, 2010.
• I will complete the writing of the first chapter by April 30, 2010.

Please feel free to use this simple document to help you set up your goals.

Goal Worksheet

Hope that this helps you in your goal/resolution setting.  I’ll be back with mine for 2010 tomorrow.